Mercury Records, Richmond, IN, The Turntable, October 1970 (Vol. 6 no. 5)

THE TURNTABLE

VOL. 6 NO. 5

RICHMOND, INDIANA

PRODUCTION
REQUIRMENTS GROW

The past few months have produced
a dramatic change in the company’s
operations and production. Changing
to a total custom operation in June,
many new accounts have been added
plus the Mercury labels that we
were previously manufacturing.

Philips Recordings is now producing
records for forty nine clients in-
Atlantic, Bell,

cluding Mercury,

London, Shelby Singleton, Chess,
GRT, Janus, Elektra, Paramount,
Colossus, and Record Club of
America.

To meet the increased demands for
production some additional equipment
has already been insta!led with other
equipment scheduled for installation
during the balance of this year and
during 1971. So far, two injection

All records produced must meet rigid quality standards in this well-

equipped testing area.

molding machines have been added
to 7 inch record production and
eight compression presses have been
added to 12 inch record production.
Four 7 inch presses are scheduled
for installation in 1971 and twelve
automatic 12 inch presses will be
installed marking the first use of
automatic presses in our company.

A new matrix line is currently being
installed with another line added
in 1971. Another boiler is scheduled
to be added this year and the dry
blend system will be operational by
year's end. Other equipment pur-
chased and installation are being

planned in the company’s effort to
operate efficiently and meet increas-
ing production requirements.

Employment has risen sharply neces-
sitated by the operation of three
shifts. From a work force of approxi-
mately 500 we now seem to have
leveled off at slightly more than 700
employees.

Production projections for 1971 in-
dicate that a higher level of records
produced will be required than has
thus far been achieved. New equip-
ment, pe odes ge employees and
greater efficiencies will all be re-

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 2)

OCTOBER 1970

EXERPT FROM MR. SHAW’S
LETTER TO EMPLOYEES

In our new role, the customer is our
boss and because of that our plant is
changing almost every day. We now
have colored records, our warehouse
stock must be on edge rather than flat
some 7” records are on vinyl instead
of styrene, acetates are 10” rather
than 14”, etc. These things are all
demands placed on us by our cus-
tomers. Our schedules are much
faster in many cases - we must close
down some departments at times in
order to have people to have a big
shipment (as we recently did to get
out a Woodstock order); we must be
able to get out good production over
weekends to meet a Monday shipment
or to react to late heavy orders on
Friday; we must separate records by
customer as they come off our pro-
duction lines - these things also are
demanded by our customers.

Almost everything that we do will be
affected by our new customers.
Changes must take place in each area.
But remember that these same cus-
tomers have given us the work that
is keeping us so busy. If we don’t
do the job for them, they will take
their business to another factory and
ours will be out of business. So it’s
worth all of us doing our job to keep
our customers satisfied.

PLANT
NOMINATED

Director of Manufacturing, Lloyd
Shaw, has recently been notified
that our plant has been nominated
for “Plant of the Year” competi-
tion carried out by Modern Manufac-
turing Magazine. A photographer
has already been in to take both
interior and exterior pictures of the.
plant and pertinent data has been
submitted for the competition.

This contest is conducted annually
by Modern Manufacturing and over
one thousand plants have been nomi-
nated for this year. This number will
be reduced to a final fifty plants
from which one. will be selected as
plant of the year. The results of the
contest will probably not be known
until the latter part of the year.
Should Philips Recording place in
the final fifty, a bulletin board an-
nouncement will be made.

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1)

One of two new seven inch injection molding machines manufactured by

NATCO.

quired to meet sales quotas estab-
lished for next year.

Much progress has been made in
converting to a total custom oper-
ation. Much remains to be done in
meeting customer requirements and

solving the problems of production
and service. There is every con-
fidence that our goals will be met.

Manufactured records in Shipping area waiting to be loaded onto trucks.

Doctors tell us hating other people can cause ulcers, heart attacks,
skin rashes, headaches, backaches and asthma. It doesn’t make the people

you hate feel too good, either.

—N.Y.C. Commission on Human Rights

GOT A GOOD IDEA?
TURN IT IN!

There is now a way you can submit
your ideas. A Suggestion Form has
been developed for all hourly and
salaried employees. Forms are avail-
able at the Security Office.

To enter your suggestion, follow the
instructions provided on each form
and deposit it in the drop box. Your
ideas are unique! No one else knows
your job quite as well as you andas
a result of your constant exposure
to it, youare in an excellent position
to see problem areas and to suggest
ways of improvement. Your sugges-
tion and ideas could possibly make
your job or someone else’s easier
and more efficient; however, good
ideas are of no value unless they are
conveyed to management and eval-
vated, found workable and put to use.

You may have an idea on improving
quality, reducing down time, pre-
venting waste, lowering material
cost, improving forms, simplifying
methods, or perhaps something never
thought of before. If you do, turn it
in and help get it underway.

Each employee submitting a sug-
gestion will be contacted within 30
days and will be given a report of
the investigation results. Good ideas
and suggestions from all of us are
essential in todays competitive

Business. TURN YOURS IN TODAY!

a Ņ
SUGGESTION MEZ,
Box

“That’s just dandy . . . But don’t you think
it would be a little more daring if we had
a slot made in it?"

No society, no matter how affluent,
can deliver more to its people than
the people produce.

J.D. BLACKFOOT GROUP VISITS PLANT

Lola Preston shows J. D. Blackfoot one of his records that she has just
pressed.

A comparatively new group from
Columbus, Ohio, having their first
album pressed on Mercury label,
visited our plant on July 17 and
witnessed production of their album.
J. D. Blackfoot, leader of the group,
has written all the material pre-

sented on the album and has been a
song writer for nine years. Other
members with him were Jeff Whitlock,
Lead Guitar, Daniel Waldron, Drums,
Craig Fuller, Guitar, Sterling Smith,
Organ, Phil Stokes, Bass.

1.B.E.W. Delegate Attends

Seattle, Washington Convention

Mr. William Smith, of our Matrix De-
partment, represented Local #2043
at the National Convention in Seattle,
Washington. This year’s convention
was held during the week of September
28 and was attended by 5,000 dele-
gates and 2,000 guests from the 4th
District. All delegates were subjected
to six days of lectures and workshop
sessions designed to keep local
members abreast of new develop-
ments during the past year. Some of
the feature speakers were Neil
Armstrong, Governor Hern, and George
Meaney.

Mrs. Smith accompanied Bill on the
trip and according to him, enjoyed all
the fun and excitement of seeing the
sights while he worked. We don’t
think he really minded though, until
all the delegates’ wives were taken
ona shopping excursion. We are sure
Grace had a tremendous time even

though Bill hasn’t really decided
whether or not it was worth it. He
says it isn’t so bad to have been
taken to the cleaners, but when the
cab fare is four bucks for a two block
ride, it makes you wonder. Besides
that, Bill tells us cigarettes were
fifty cents a pack and he gave serious
thought of going back to rolling his
own.

This was a very enlightening and
exciting trip for Bill, especially
since it was his first flight by jet.
He informed us that head winds
caused some delay on the flight
out; took all of four hours and forty
minutes. We understand the steward-
esses resembled the Boeing 707;
sleek, smooth, comfortable, and
FAST.

We are pleased that the trip was a
safe one and we're glad to have him
back in our midst; not broke, but

badly bent.
3

SAFETY IS EVERYBODY’S
BUSINESS

Inthe past few months we have hired
several hundred new employees,
most of whom are performing un-
familiar jobs. This raises the odds
for all our employees on being in-
volved in a lost-time accident.
Personal injuries create a hardship
for the employee involved, co-
workers, and the company.

We would like to offer some sugges-
tions for minimizing these injuries.
They are as follows:

1. When operating unfamiliar
equipment, be sure to get
proper instructions from your
Supervisor or competent co-
worker before attempting to
operate.

2. Use common courtesy and
common sense in all work
related activities.

3. Be willing to assist those
employees who are engaged
in unsafe work habits.

4. Report all safety hazards to
your supervisor.

5. Taking time to do the job
safely is your best insurance
against accidents.

6. When in doubt, check your
supervisor before proceeding.

7. Innocent horseplay leads to
serious disaster.

CHARLES TURNER

Employees of Philips Recording
Company were saddened to learn
that Charles ‘‘Chuck’’ Turner had
passed away August 25 following
a long illness. Chuck was a very
popular foreman in the Distribution
Department and hod been an employee
since June 14, 1965.

Besides holding several supervisory
positions with the company, Chuck
had been very active with the Credit
Union and was President at the time

of his death.
Born October 22, 1927, Chuck is

survived by his wife, Freda, and
three children. His warm personality
and helpfulness to other employees
will be long remembered by all em-
ployees at Philips Recording Com-
pany.

ee:

Courtesy and kindness are the ele-
ments of civilization.

SHE KNITS

On most breaks and lunch periods
you will find Berta Walters doing
what the picture depicts -- knitting.
Berta carries her knitting with her at
all times and during any non-working

riod will be busily engaged in her
atest project of knitting baby boots,
scarves, hats, etc.

A Shipper on the first shift in the
Shipping Department, Berta has been
employed for four years. Born in
Schlotheim, Germany, which is now
part of the Russian sector, she came
to the United States in 1953. She is
presently living atR. R. 2, Cambridge
City, Indiana. She is the mother of
two boys age 22 and 15.

Berta’s knitting products are always
very much in demand as other em-
ployees keep her busy with requests
for almost anything that can be
knitted; however, the most popular
seems to be baby boots, which re-
quire two and a half to three hours
to knit. Berta says knitting relaxes
her and uses up her nervous energy.
She recommends it to other employees
as a great way to occupy leisure
time.

HELP!

Our cafeteria is being used near
it’s full capacity during the lunch
periods. Many times there are other
employees seated at a table that
you and | just occupied. This means
there is no time for anyone to remove

that which we have left behind.

Since we all enjoy eating in a clean
and comfortable cafeteria, we should
be sure to leave our table as clean
as possible.

WHO AM I? 2???

| criticize my fellow workers for not
doing things my way.

| condemn my boss for his apparent
lack of interest in my job.

| work hard but sometimes wonder if
anybody really cares.

| look for a challenge in my work and
a chance to improve myself.

| am human and make mistakes al-
though | try my best.

| seldom feel my efforts are appre-
ciated or my intentions understood.

| enjoy taking pride in my work and
feeling the sense of accomplishment.

| don’t always understand the reason
for rules and’ policies that seemingly
limit my efforts.
| like to keep busy and feel pro-
ductive.
| find it difficult at times to earn
enough money to meet my commit-
ments.
| want to be recognized for a job
well done.
| sometimes fail to do my best for
fear it will become expected.
| have ambitions, desires and emo-
tions; | am not a piece of equipment,
a building or a property Then
Who Am I? .
| am the WORKER, THESUPERVISOR
and the MANAGER.

| AM THE COMPANY!

Need Help...

Suppose you're in an automobile ac-
cident. Or your father has a stroke.
Or a relative has to be rushed to the
hospital. When you see the police
wagon coming, you know help is on
the way. Whether it’s to help a crash
victim, stop a burglar, deliver a baby,
or to direct traffic.

So when you need help, call a
friend. Call a cop.

Merc Promotes
Mystic Moods

CHICAGO—Mercury Record
Corp. has designated October
as Mystic Moods month in
honor of the Philips Record
group. To coincide, the group’s
new LP will be released shortly.
The program will include the
entire Mystic Moods catalog,
backed with advertising and
merchandising campaigns.

4%

Safety

Rings can be safer

Jewelry and safety are not always
compatible. Wearing rings on the job
has cost many an industrial worker
a finger. Watches with metal bands
have been known to cause burns and
sparks on battery terminals that have
ignited gasoline vapors. Synchro-
scope, Detroit Edison Co.’s maga-
zine, warns employees in a recent
issue against metallic jewelry, loose
clothing, and long neckties that can
get ensnared by moving machinery.

Even around home, on do-it-yourself
projects, jewelry may cause acci-
dents, the article warns. Yet, the
author acknowledges some people,
because of sentiment, just plain
refuse to remove their rings. For
them, these 3 steps are recommended:

*Check the ring’s fit. Many are too
tight. If yours is, have it enlarged
by a jeweler so it will slip on and
off easily.

*Have notches cut about halfway
through the ring’s thickness at the
2:30 and 9:30 o'clock positions on
the ring’s inside diameter.

*Have a slot made clear through the
ring’s thickness at the 6:30 o clock
position. The slot should begin at
right angles from the inside diameter
of the ring, go 1/3 of the way through
the rings thickness, then make a
45-degree turn and continue through
the ring. Finishing the slot on an
angle makes it harder to detect when
the ring is being worn. If the metal
of the ring is very thin, there’s no
need to cut through the full thickness.

If the ring is caught, the slot will
stretch to open the ring and release
the wearers finger before it is
crushed.

THINK ABOUT THIS

Is the theft of a record or tape worth
the risk of losing your job when they
can be purchased in the Record Store
at a very low price?